History Literature / TheChroniclesOfNarnia

C.S. Lewis (re-)converted from atheism to Christianity and wrote many works of apologetics and theology; the ''Narnia'' series, his only work directly targeted at children, is at once a work of creative fiction and applied apologetics, even dealing with atheism. Narnia [[FantasyKitchenSink borrows creatures and myths from many different cultures and ages]], from the Edwardian adventure stories of Lewis's youth to the ''Literature/ArabianNights'', from [[Creator/WilliamShakespeare Shakespearean]] tragedies to the [[Creator/TheBrothersGrimm Grimms]]' fairy-tales, from the Classical and Germanic mythologies that were Lewis's avocation to the mediaeval literature that was his professional study, interwoven with creatures of Lewis's own imagination (namely, marshwiggles) -- a profusion of fantasy highly unorthodox in the prosaic, "realistic" Machine Age, post-[[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII war]] '40s and '50s -- all undergirded with a solid structure of Christian doctrine. By the third (published) book, it is clear that Aslan is a [[CrystalDragonJesus fictional version of Jesus]] -- yet, as Lewis insisted, the works do not form an ''allegory'' of Christian life, as some have assumed, but rather an adventure-tale in which {{God}} is a [[PalsWithJesus fellow]]-[[JesusWasWayCool adventurer]]. He also said that he didn't set out to include any religious elements in the story, it just ended up that way.

The books display the influence of J.R.R. Tolkien's ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', not surprisingly since the authors were friends at the time -- indeed, Lewis's ''Literature/SpaceTrilogy'' was written as a result of a friendly wager with Tolkien. While ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' has not had the colossal cultural impact of Tolkien's epic, the series has remained the best-known and most beloved of all of Lewis' works.

More recently, the first three (by publication order) have been filmed as the start of a series intended to adapt all seven books; First by Disney, later 20th Century Fox, and Walden Media through the work of Creator/PerryMoore spending several years acquiring the rights for Walden. ''Film/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe'' came out in late 2005, ''Film/PrinceCaspian'' in 2008, and ''Film/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader'' in late 2010. Creator/{{Netflix}} bought the rights to all seven books in 2018 intending to make their own set of shows, to be helmed by ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}'' co-writer Matthew Aldrich.

The first four books are in chronological order, but the fifth takes place [[{{Interquel}} between the last two chapters of the first]], and the sixth is a prequel to the series. ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' were actually not originally intended to be a seven volume series. After the success of the first book, Lewis [[ExpansionPackWorld wrote two more]], to complete a trilogy. Thus ''Literature/PrinceCaspian'' and ''Literature/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader'' form a [[TwoPartTrilogy natural pair]], telling a single more or less connected story within the larger series. When demand continued, Lewis wrote another two books, then a "prequel" describing Narnia's beginning, and finally ''Literature/TheLastBattle'', in which the land of Narnia is brought to its own close, giving the series a definite ending.

C.S. Lewis (re-)converted from atheism to Christianity and wrote many works of apologetics and theology; the ''Narnia'' series, his only work directly targeted at children, is at once a work of creative fiction and applied apologetics, even dealing with atheism. Narnia [[FantasyKitchenSink borrows creatures and myths from many different cultures and ages]], from the Edwardian adventure stories of Lewis's youth to the ''Literature/ArabianNights'', from [[Creator/WilliamShakespeare Shakespearean]] tragedies to the [[Creator/TheBrothersGrimm Grimms]]' fairy-tales, from the Classical and Germanic mythologies that were Lewis's avocation to the mediaeval literature that was his professional study, interwoven with creatures of Lewis's own imagination (as found also in Lewis's so-called Literature/SpaceTrilogy) -- a profusion of fantasy highly unorthodox in the prosaic, "realistic" Machine Age, post-[[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII war]] '40s and '50s -- all undergirded with a solid structure of Christian doctrine. By the third (published) book, it is clear that Aslan is a [[CrystalDragonJesus fictional version of Jesus]] -- yet, as Lewis insisted, the works do not form an ''allegory'' of Christian life, as some have assumed, but rather an adventure-tale in which {{God}} is a [[PalsWithJesus fellow]]-[[JesusWasWayCool adventurer]]. He also said that he didn't set out to include any religious elements in the story, it just ended up that way.

TelevisionSerial adaptations of the first four books have all been televised by the BBC and released on DVD (in some places as [[CompilationMovie Compilation Movies]]), and the first three (by publication order) have been filmed as the start of a series intended to adapt all seven books. ''Lion'' was also the subject of an earlier TV adaptation on ITV in 1967 (now largely lost) and an AnimatedAdaptation [[WesternAnimation/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe1979 in 1979]]. Unfortunately, the BBC master of ''Lion'' was apparently lost to unknown causes several years ago, so the best quality copies of that series left are the [=DVDs=][[note]]there were also VHS tapes[[/note]]. A radio adaptation by Creator/TheBBC also successfully adapted all seven books, originally broadcast between 1988 and 1997.

More recently adapted into movies by Disney (later 20th Century Fox) and Walden Media through the work of Creator/PerryMoore spending several years acquiring the rights for Walden. ''Film/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe'' came out in late 2005, ''Film/PrinceCaspian'' in 2008, and ''Film/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader'' in late 2010. Creator/{{Netflix}} bought the rights to all seven books in 2018 intending to make their own set of shows, to be helmed by ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}'' co-writer Matthew Aldrich.

* OurDragonsAreDifferent: They don't show up all that often compared to other species, but they're among the creatures present in the world of Narnia, generally being found in its more remote corners. Physically they're the giant, fire-breathing, bat-winged reptiles of Western myth, although they elbows are noted to rise above their backs like a spider's. They're immensely greedy, and often amass immense hoards of treasure. Sleeping on a dragon's hoard risks transforming the sleeper into a dragon themselves, and dragons live alongside {{Fiery Salamander}}s in the land of Bism BeneathTheEarth, sleeping until the end times when they will rise to the surface and burn away the world.

** Narnia has a rule that when they are present, humans rule over the [[TalkingAnimal talking animals]] as kings and queens. Lewis probably added this because of the ''Literature/TheBible'' verse giving humanity dominion over animals.

%%* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: The kings and queens of the series along with Aslan.

TelevisionSerial adaptations of the first four books have all been televised by the BBC and released on DVD (in some places as [[CompilationMovie Compilation Movies]]), and the first three (by publication order) have been filmed as the start of a series intended to adapt all seven books. ''Lion'' was also the subject of an earlier TV adaptation on ITV in 1967 (now largely lost) and an AnimatedAdaptation [[WesternAnimation/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe1979 in 1979]]. Unfortunately, the BBC master of ''Lion'' was apparently lost to unknown causes several years ago, so the best quality copies of that series left are the [=DVDs=][[note]]there were also VHS tapes[[/note]]. More recently adapted into movies by Disney (later 20th Century Fox) and Walden Media through the work of Creator/PerryMoore spending several years acquiring the rights for Walden. ''Film/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe'' came out in late 2005, ''Film/PrinceCaspian'' in 2008, and ''Film/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader'' in late 2010. Creator/{{Netflix}} bought the rights to all seven books in 2018 intending to make their own set of shows, to be helmed by ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}'' co-writer Matthew Aldrich.

* CutShort: Neither the BBC adaptation nor the Walden Media films were able to adapt all the books. The Walden media films only managed to adapt three books, stopping at ''The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'', the third published book, whereas the BBC version was at least able to go up to ''The Silver Chair'' before stopping, but in any case, neither version managed to adapt all seven novels. Time will tell if the upcoming Netflix shows will avert this or not.

* CarnivoreConfusion: In Narnia there are both talking animals and regular non-sapient animals. Eating a non-talking animal is no bigger deal than it would be anywhere else, but eating a talking animal is considered tantamount to cannibalism. This first is raised as an issue in ''Literature/PrinceCaspian'', where Susan hesitates to shoot an attacking bear because she is concerned it might be a talking bear (it wasn't, and they cook and eat it). It becomes a serious plot point in ''Literature/TheSilverChair'', where [[spoiler:the "gentle giants" of Harfang are discovered to have killed a talking deer, which our heroes [[IAteWhat unknowingly ate for dinner]].]] Jill is sad as she would be when she thinks about any animal suffering; Eustace who has been friends with talking animals is horrified as though hearing of a murder; but Puddleglum who is a native Narnian is appalled [[DrivenToSuicide almost to the point of suicide]] and compares it to a human discovering they had [[EatsBabies eaten a baby]].

%%* LiteraryAgentHypothesis: Rather hard to reconcile with the events of ''The Last Battle''.

%%* BarefootSage: Coriakin, Ramandu, and the Hermit of the Southern March.

%%* OurNymphsArePrettier: Dryads are among the numerous fantastical creatures native to Narnia, and Lewis describes them in some detail. Birch dryads look like slender girls with showery hair, dressed in silver and fond of dancing, beech dryads look like gracious, queenly goddesses dressed in fresh transparent green, and oak dryads look like wizened old men with warts, gnarled fingers, and hair growing out of the warts.%%Temporarily unlaunched to resolve naming issues.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: Actually lots of characters, including The Hermit of the Southern March, Coriakin, Ramandu, possibly Ramandu's Daughter, Shasta, Queen Jadis and, at some point, the Pevensies themselves (especially Lucy). It's a bit subverted with Shasta several times when the burning desert sand or the freezing dew-covered grass makes him wish he had shoes like Aravis.

* LightIsGood: Played with. Most of the villains are not "dark", and while Aslan arguably fills the "light BigGood" niche the only truly light-oriented creatures, the stars, don't play a big role - nor do they seem any more morally conventional than any other race. The inhabitants of Narnia's underworld [[DarkIsNotEvil are mostly good]], and the very first villain is a [[WomanInWhite witch dressed in white]] (although not explicitly light-related).

* OurNymphsArePrettier: Dryads are among the numerous fantastical creatures native to Narnia, and Lewis describes them in some detail. Birch dryads look like slender girls with showery hair, dressed in silver and fond of dancing, beech dryads look like gracious, queenly goddesses dressed in fresh transparent green, and oak dryads look like wizened old men with warts, gnarled fingers, and hair growing out of the warts.

--->''"WHAT??? Is our maiden A DEEP POLITICIAN?!?"''

* OneSteveLimit: Averted with Queen Helen and Helen Pevensie-- though Helen Pevensie is not named in the books.

* OurMermaidsAreDifferent: Narnia has two varieties of merfolk. The ones that live in the coast of Narnia are the traditional merfolk with the heads, arms, and torsos of human men and women and long fish tails below the waist. They are friendly, can breathe the air of the surface, can leave the water, and have beautiful, sireneqsue/angelic singing voices. The other kind that dwell in the oceans at the world's end are completely humanoid in appearance with regular human legs, have ivory white skin, dark purple hair, wear no clothing except for royalty, who wear cloaks and coronets, and ride of the backs of spiny sea horses (that's gotta be painful if you are riding butt naked.). They are apparently unable to leave the water (either they are unable to breathe air, or they don't know what might happen to them if they do), and are very fierce and hostile to the ''Dawn Treader'' crew, except for one fish shepherdess girl who waved to Lucy when she saw her. In the film version of VDT, the Sea People are replaced by Naiads, who weren't featured in the first two films (Unless you count the River God), and they are depicted as basically mermaids made out of liquid.....

* TalkingAnimal: Narnia is full of them and some like the Beavers act like CivilizedAnimals. It's important to note however that there are ordinary "dumb" animals which can be used for labor and be butchered for meat; but killing and eat a talking beast is a grave offense, and so is mistreating them -- King Tirian ''kills'' a Calormene solider who dared to whip a talking a horse. Aslan was one the who create the Talking Beasts; they were originally ordinary animals that he granted the gifts of speech and intelligence and he still does so centuries after Narnia's creation - Reepicheep and his followers are descended from the mice that freed Aslan from the White Witch's ropes, and were given the gift of speech in gratitude. However, Aslan can also take the gift of speech away; [[spoiler:In "The Last Battle" those talking animals that reject him or betrayed Narnia to Calormen become dumb beasts.]]

* EvilIsHammy: The White Witch in both the animated and BBC adaptations. Both have NoIndoorVoice, with their lines rarely dropping below a deafening screech, and both are prone to ChewingTheScenery. Barbara Kellerman's acting in the BBC version is hammy enough (''especially'' when she tries to sound angry) that a BigNo serves as an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HdUtlq_Hno#t=1m04s answer to a simple question]]. Probably an example of HamAndCheese. Averted in the film version, where Creator/TildaSwinton gives a much more restrained performance.

* LightIsGood: Played with. Most of the villains are not "dark", and while Aslan arguably fills the "light BigGood" niche the only truly light-oriented creatures, the stars, don't play a big role - nor do they seem any more morally conventional than any other race. The inhabitants of Narnia's underworld [[DarkIsNotEvil are mostly good]], and the very first villain is a [[WomanInWhite witch dressed in white]] (although not explicitly light related).

* WishFulfillment: Arguably, the two instances in the entire series when Narnian magic intervenes directly in the real world: In ''Literature/TheMagiciansNephew'', when [[spoiler:Aslan gives Digory the means to save his mother]], and in ''Literature/TheSilverChair'', when [[spoiler:Aslan, Caspian, and the children teach the bullies at the boarding school a lesson]]. This becomes clear when one reads Lewis' autobiography, ''Surprised by Joy'', and sees that he lost his own mother at a young age, similarly to Digory, and that he had attended a realistic BoardingSchoolOfHorrors, where he experienced bullying.